Global Innovation Report

The Yard Creative recently featured in the Global Innovation Report, produced quarterly by GDR Creative Intelligence.

We were blown away to have GDR (Global Design Resource) Creative Intelligence call our Creative Director (Steve James-Royle) directly and ask us to write an expert article on the topic of 'Convenient Consumption' for the Q1 issue of the Global Innovation Report, 2010 (also known as 'The Trend Book').

Why were we so excited?
GDR Creative Intelligence provide the world’s leading consumer facing companies with the thought leadership they need to remain ahead in retail and hospitality. They use a unique network of innovators in design, architecture and experiential marketing to provide materials that make sense of the consumer world and accurately predict mid term trends. And that's not all... the Global Innovation Report is a distilled quarterly view of best-in-market retail and hospitality case studies, set within early stage consumer trends!

You can read the full article on Convenient Consumption (PDF, 656KB) or for a brief synopsis please read on:

- The UK convenience market is worth £29.1 billion and is set to increase by 36% over the next five years, according to IGD and William Reed Business Media 2009

- In the US profitability of convenience stores increased by 54% in 2008, reversing a two-year decline, and sales in this sector are expected to grow at around 5% between 2009 and 2013, according to industry research firm RNCOS

- In today’s increasingly fast-paced world, time is a precious commodity. Time has almost become a currency in its own right. Selling the consumer’s time back to them is a winning proposition.

Convenience is all in the eye of the customer. What is convenient for one may not necessarily be convenient for another. Many retailers and brands have identified opportunities to provide convenience and are getting it right, such as:

Sunkost, in Norway has done well in the health foods and health products market, with its bright, clean-looking stores, branding and merchandising. Product information is placed at eye-level and is conveyed through digital signage systems around the store.

Jumeirah Hotels, in the US, the Middle East and the UK, recognised that airport security restrictions were creating problems for customers travelling light and in response created the online shop-ahead Pre-Arrival service.

Papa John’s in the US, uses text ordering so a customers food or coffee can be ready when they pass, or to their doorstop when they get home. This involves setting up an online account and specifying favourite meals, which are each allocated a number.

Read the full article on Convenient Consumption (PDF, 656KB) or visit our company blog to read about more trends of 2010.

If you would like to know more about our experience designing for convenience then please get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to talk through our past projects and / or your specific needs.